I Can't Fall for My Own Wife Again After Reincarnation, Right? (GL) - Chapter 29

Xu Yingran’s words silenced Fu Qiao, and even Yao Jin looked up from her phone screen, her gaze fixed intently on Fu Qiao.

“I… haven’t decided yet,” Fu Qiao glanced at the two beside her and said, “The training fees are too expensive. I don’t think my parents would be willing to pay for it.”

Although Fu Qiao’s family ran a barbecue stall, they had recently bought a house and a shop. Fu Qiao had never asked her parents to spend money on her education before, at most, she had enrolled in basic academic classes during winter and summer breaks. She had never studied anything else.

Broadcasting was something entirely new to her. Though she liked it, she wasn’t sure if her parents would support her.

The thought of it dampened her mood.

Fu Qiao had always been sensible, never demanding. She never envied other kids for their snacks or treats.

Her parents, Fu Jun and Hu Mei, had little education. After being laid off, they started small businesses, first selling boxed meals at construction sites, then breakfast stalls, and now barbecue. They worked late into the night every day.

From as early as she could remember, Fu Qiao had made sure not to burden her family. She came straight home after school to do homework. While Xu Yingran was still playing with mud downstairs, Fu Qiao was already cooking for herself at home.

By the age of ten, she could steam rice and make simple stir-fries, earning praise from neighbors for being “mature.” But this maturity wasn’t something she had chosen for herself.

Now, though her grades were excellent, suddenly asking her parents to pay for broadcasting classes would likely be met with refusal.

The thought made her hesitate, should she even bring it up for the sake of her own interests?

Seeing Fu Qiao’s downcast expression, Yao Jin finally spoke up.

“Actually, art school exams aren’t a bad option,” Yao Jin said. “You can still take the regular college entrance exams afterward. It just gives you an extra choice. If you explain it to your parents like that, they might agree. After all, investing in education is still an investment.”

Fu Qiao stared blankly at Yao Jin, this was the first time she’d heard the term “education investment.”

Xu Yingran glanced at Yao Jin. “Rare to see you comforting someone.”

Yao Jin shrugged. “I’m just stating facts.”

Xu Yingran then turned to Fu Qiao. “Don’t worry too much. When we get back, I’ll talk to your parents with you. You won’t have to face it alone.”

Fu Qiao looked at the two sitting beside her and nodded solemnly.

“Thank you,” she said, her mood lifting. “It’s almost noon, let’s eat before heading back. What do you want? My treat.”

She still had the money from buying study materials last time.

At the mention of food, Yao Jin was the first to speak. “I want steak.”

Xu Yingran kicked her. “Why pick something so expensive? There’s a noodle shop right next to us. Just get some beef noodles.”

“Why only two bowls? There are three of us.”

“Exactly. Two bowls for me and Fu Qiao. You can just sit and watch.”

Yao Jin immediately started wrestling with Xu Yingran. In the end, Fu Qiao decided they’d go for grilled fish, a set meal for a little over a hundred yuan would be enough to fill all three of them.

The driver arrived early to pick Yao Jin up, saying her father had something to discuss with her. After the meal, Yao Jin left.

Xu Yingran accompanied Fu Qiao to settle the bill at the front desk before slowly making their way to the bus stop outside the shopping center.

In this era, the city still lacked proper subway planning, so buses were the primary mode of transportation everywhere.

The afternoon sun was scorching, with temperatures likely exceeding thirty degrees. Xu Yingran pulled Fu Qiao into the shade of the bus stop, waiting as the bus leisurely approached.

Even though it was the weekend, the bus was still quite crowded.

Xu Yingran found a seat and tugged Fu Qiao over to sit down, while she stood beside her, gripping the handrail.

Fu Qiao glanced up at her and said somewhat sheepishly, “Aren’t you going to sit?”

Just then, more people squeezed onto the bus. Xu Yingran tightened her grip on the handrail and looked down at her. “No need, you sit.”

As the doors closed, the bus inched forward like a sardine can.

Perhaps because of the weather, Xu Yingran couldn’t help but notice a faint odor of sweat lingering in the air. Although the bus had air conditioning and wasn’t too hot, its sluggish pace made her miss the subway.

Fu Qiao looked up at Xu Yingran, who was swaying slightly as she held onto the overhead strap. Without thinking, Fu Qiao reached out just as the bus turned a corner, wrapping her arms around Xu Yingran’s waist.

Her slender, pale arms clung tightly, as if afraid Xu Yingran might be thrown off balance, her delicate face flushing red.

Xu Yingran couldn’t help but smile at the sight. She freed her other hand to gently pat Fu Qiao’s head, pulling her closer into her embrace.

Noticing Xu Yingran’s gesture, Fu Qiao tilted her head up with a puzzled look.

“You, ”

Just as Xu Yingran was about to tease her, a small child nearby lost balance and suddenly latched onto Fu Qiao’s leg.

The chubby, round-faced child looked like a kindergarten student, with two tiny braids framing her smooth forehead and wispy baby hairs. Her bright eyes blinked up at them in confusion.

Fu Qiao: “…”

Her face turned crimson, and she instinctively pushed Xu Yingran away.

Stunned, Xu Yingran stared at her, baffled by the sudden rejection.

Then, the little girl clinging to Fu Qiao’s thigh spoke up: “Big sisters, why were you hugging each other?”

At the child’s question, Xu Yingran watched as Fu Qiao’s face grew even redder, eventually matching the shade of a lobster. Fu Qiao gaped at the girl, at a loss for words.

Meanwhile, Xu Yingran noticed the kid’s hand was still resting on Fu Qiao’s thigh, leaving a faint red mark on the fair skin.

Damn it, she thought. I haven’t even gotten to touch Fu Qiao’s thighs yet. Where did this brat come from, acting so familiar?!

“W-we weren’t! Don’t say nonsense,” Fu Qiao stammered in explanation. “The bus turned, so we… accidentally hugged.”

Accidentally?!

Xu Yingran’s eyes widened. So hugging her was an accident now???

Her own wife needed that as an excuse just to hold her???

Xu Yingran was unhappy. She felt that even if the two of them weren’t married now, they would be sooner or later. Why should an old married couple have to explain hugging on the bus to some random kid?

But she couldn’t scold her wife, so Xu Yingran turned her displeasure toward the child who had suddenly popped up to cause trouble. “Whose kid are you?” she asked irritably.

The little girl looked up at her with big, blinking eyes.

The bus was crowded, and nearby passengers had already turned their heads to watch. A young woman quickly squeezed through the crowd and apologized to Xu Yingran and Fu Qiao. “I’m so sorry, I was swiping my card and lost sight of her for a second. Did she cause any trouble?”

Fu Qiao, her face flushed, stood up and shook her head. “Here, take this seat,” she said.

“Oh, I couldn’t, ”

“It’s fine. Sit with your child.”

With that, Fu Qiao, her face still burning, tugged at Xu Yingran’s sleeve and pulled her to the other side of the bus.

“What’s wrong?” Xu Yingran asked, noticing Fu Qiao’s reddened face. “Are you upset?”

“No.” Fu Qiao didn’t dare look up at her, but she couldn’t help overhearing the little girl ask her mother in all seriousness, Why were those two sisters hugging? What were they doing?

Fu Qiao was shy by nature, and she couldn’t bring herself to answer the child’s innocent question. She just wanted to put as much distance as possible between herself and the mother-daughter pair. But before she could take more than two steps, Xu Yingran grabbed her and pulled her close.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Xu Yingran wrapped an arm around Fu Qiao’s waist and murmured into her ear, “Running off on a crowded bus like this, aren’t you hot with all these people around?”

Fu Qiao couldn’t even lift her head, pressing herself tightly against Xu Yingran’s shoulder as the tips of her ears turned a deep red.

Xu Yingran watched as Fu Qiao fidgeted, her flushed ears twitching slightly, and couldn’t help feeling like she was being teased.

She stared at the woman in her arms, then cleared her throat and whispered into Fu Qiao’s ear, “Why are your ears so red?”

Fu Qiao immediately covered them with her hands, shooting Xu Yingran a glare before ducking her head again.

Xu Yingran stifled a laugh, bracing one hand against the bus pole while the other held Fu Qiao snugly against her.

The bus swayed leisurely through street after street.

Xu Yingran thought this kind of afternoon was rare, no pressure, no worries about the future, just holding Fu Qiao in silence as the bus carried them through familiar streets.

Downtown, the bus had been packed, but as it moved toward the city’s outskirts, the crowd thinned. By the time they reached the stop closest to the old district, only a few passengers remained.

The mother and daughter Fu Qiao had given her seat to had long since gotten off, but her ears were still red. The moment they stepped off the bus, she hurried toward the old district, leaving Xu Yingran to follow at a leisurely pace.

“Fu Qiao.”

“Fu Qiao~”

“Fu Qiao~~~”

Xu Yingran called after her, amusement in her voice. “Why are you walking so fast? Usually, you’re the one chasing after me. What’s gotten into you today?”

Fu Qiao kept her head down, ignoring her.

Seeing that she really wasn’t going to respond, Xu Yingran quickened her steps, circling around to block Fu Qiao’s path.

Fu Qiao couldn’t stop in time and crashed right into Xu Yingran’s arms, being caught in a firm embrace.

“Fu Qiao, Fu Qiao, my dear Fu Qiao,” Xu Yingran hugged her while swaying gently. “Why are you angry for no reason? What did I do to upset you today?”

Dizzy from both the swaying and the calling, Fu Qiao couldn’t help but complain, “We’re still on the street, what are you doing?”

As she tried to push Xu Yingran’s shoulders away, her hands were caught and their fingers interlaced.

“No matter what I did to upset you today, let me apologize first, okay?” Xu Yingran coaxed her, saying, “How about I come to your place this afternoon to do homework together? There’s just so much this week, I can’t focus without you.”

“You… it’s not like you don’t know how,” Fu Qiao muttered, her face flushing.

“I really don’t,” Xu Yingran released her, tilting her head down with a smile that crinkled her eyes. “I’m so dumb, you’ll have to teach me more.”